From American Fiction (dir. Cord Jefferson, 2023), the Ellison brothers in conversation. Cliff (Sterling K. Brown), a plastic surgeon, says he’s keeping an eye on their mother. Thelonious, known as “Monk,” a novelist and professor, has something to say.
Cliff: “I’m a doctor.”
Monk: “So am I.”
Cliff: “Right. Maybe if we need to revive a sentence.”
As a member of an English department, Monk is the odd man out in his family of doctors and lawyers. I love this exchange, which reminds me that when I asked students to please not call me “Doctor,” I would quote Elaine: “A doctor is someone who can fix your knee.”
I have to take back what I wrote about The Holdovers: I think American Fiction might be the best new movie I see all year.
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Two doctors talking
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comments: 2
I watched The Holdovers on the weekend due to your review. It was excellent as you noted. Now you've gone and done it again :-) There goes my plans for this weekend. I need to watch American Fiction.
I hope you like it. I was idly planning to watch The Holdovers, and it was a friend’s recommendation that served as the extra push. We’re all influencers. :-)
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